Legacy
by nalaa
Summary: "I always thought you didn't like me." [...] "I didn't like you. At first." / Mackenzie gets a late night visitor and a few encouraging words.


**A/N:** I've been thinking about writing this since the finale last Sunday and since I made a certain post on tumblr.  
>I hope you enjoy it!<p>

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><p>There's a gentle knock on her door and she invites the person to come in without thinking or taking her eyes off the paperwork in front of her. A few minutes ago, the clock on her computer told her it was almost ten o'clock so, thinking it's her husband who just stepped inside her office, she raises her finger. "I'm almost done. Give me ten more minutes, baby, and we can get out of here." She says.<p>

"Your hubby's still downstairs, getting pitched a silly story thanks to a well placed call to whom I think might become my new protégé." A voice she wasn't expecting replies, startling her.

"Leona!" Mac exclaims, jumping out of her seat to greet her former boss. "What can I do for you?" She asks once Leona has sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I should stop by to see how you were doing." Leona tells her, crossing her legs and leaning back on her chair, her hands folded on her lap.

Mac closes the folder on her desk and also relaxes on her seat. "I'm still adjusting. Charlie made it look so easy..." She says, pausing for a moment. "Pruit's trying to drive me crazy. Everything I want or try to do, he always finds something to complain about. Most of his ideas are ridiculous, and I've been subtlety trying to make him aware of that, but he doesn't want to listen. He barges in here whenever he wants, without knocking, and poor Millie keeps apologizing when it's not her fault." After taking a deep breath, Mac looks at Leona's smiling face and realizes what she has just said. "Sorry, it's been a stressful week."

"You needed to get that out of your chest, no need to apologize." Leona replies. "I'm partially responsible."

"Why me?" Mac asks her; she's been wanting to ask her since the funeral but hasn't had an opportunity until today.

"You should redecorate." Leona tells her instead, standing up and walking towards the corner of the office where Charlie kept his scotch and that Mac hasn't touched. "Softer colors, different furniture, maybe you could get a couch. It'd look great." She grabs one of the glasses, something she gave Charlie when he accepted the position of News Director and that she knows Nancy has given to Mac as something to keep in her office. "Do you mind?" She asks, raising the bottle with her other hand.

"Go ahead." Mac replies.

Leona fills two glasses and gives one to Mac. She just leaves it on her desk and looks back at Leona, who's leaning against the window looking pensive.

"Leona?" Mac calls her after a couple of minutes in silence.

"Yes?" She replies.

"You never answered my question." Mac tells her.

"I know." Leona says, smiling.

"Why me?" She asks again.

"It was Pruit's decision, not mine."

"Bullshit." Mac tells her. Leona just smiles again and returns to her seat. "I always thought you didn't like me, you've always given me hell. Why this sudden interest in promoting me? Was it because Pruit's PR problem?"

"Pruit's PR problem just made it easier." Leona simply says.

"Easier?" She asks her, incredulous.

"A couple of years ago, after the infamous American Taliban broadcast, Charlie came one night to my office and gave me a closed envelope. I remember looking at him, surprised, and he said: in case I get hit by a bus. I never opened it, I even forgot I had it, but the other day, after you came to tell me that he was dead, I suddenly remembered and opened it. Inside, there was only one name." Leona explains, her eyes suspiciously watery. "The PR problem made it easier for me to convince Pruit you were the right person for the job. You're more than capable to do this, Mac. Charlie knew it, I know it, your husband and your newsbabies know it. Now, you just have to believe it."

"Easier said than done." Mac says under her breath.

"And you're right." Leona continues. "I didn't like you. At first." She points out. "After what happened at Northwestern, Charlie told me about his plan of bringing a new EP for News Night. I thought he was crazy. I knew about your work, you'd done a wonderful job at CNN and you were considered one of the best, but I also knew about what had happened and why they had let you _seek other options_, as they had carefully put it. Charlie believed in you, and I trusted his judgment, so I told him to go ahead. Then, you came by and everything changed, making my job a lot harder than it already was. If I remember correctly, you even threatened to kick my son out of his own building."

"I did." Mac says, laughing.

"You turned News Night, and Will, upside down. I profusely complained to Charlie about it, not because I wasn't proud of what you were doing but because I had to, for the company's sake. But then, one night, Charlie invited me to come down to your floor and watch you guys work. I don't remember what you were working on, I only remember it was very late and everyone was still there. That night, I saw how the staff kept going into your office until you stepped out and, with a smile, told them to gather into the conference room so you could solve all their questions at once and, that way, nobody would be wasting their time. Without a word, everybody followed you, even Will, who had come out of his office when he'd heard your voice. I looked at Charlie, who was standing by my side, and the said: See? Told you, queen of ACN. From that moment on, I knew I had misjudged you. Then, I got to know you better and here I am now." Leona concluded before finishing her drink.

Mac doesn't know what to say. She has always known Charlie took a leap of faith by hiring her, she still remembers their first meeting at the bowling alley and the not-so-good impression she must had made, but hearing the story from Leona has really touched her. She quickly wipes the couple of tears that have fallen down her face and smiles at her.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." Mac softly tells her.

Leona leans forward and gently takes Mac's hand, giving her a little squeeze. "You're gonna be great, McMac."

"Thank you, Leona." Mac sincerely replies.

"I have a couple of things for you." She says, standing up and stepping out of the office for a few seconds. She returns with a bag and leaves it on the desk. "Come on, open it." She urges her.

Mac stands up and reaches into the bag. She takes out the beautifully wrapped gift and carefully opens the paper. Inside, she finds a beautiful nameplate that has _Mackenzie McHale, President of Atlantis Cable News_ engraved in it. She picks it up and raises her head to tearfully look at Leona.

Leona widely smiles at her. "Office-warming gift." She simply says.

Mac just nods at her, not trusting her voice. Then, she takes out the envelope from the bag and opens it. This time, she can't hold back the tears when she sees the picture of Will and Charlie standing on both sides of her at the Correspondents' Dinner. She turns the picture and, stuck onto it, there's a yellow post-it with _WWCD?_ in Leona's neat handwriting.

"What would Charlie do?" Leona explains. "Keep that in mind and nothing's gonna be able to stand on your way to greatness."

Before her brain can process it, Mac walks around her desk and hugs Leona, tightly. Leona gratefully returns the gesture, patting the younger woman's back while she silently cries on her shoulder. The tender moment is interrupted when Will walks into the office like he owns the whole building and sees them.

"What's going on?" He asks them, confused. Then, he sees the glasses on Mac's desk. "Are you drinking?" He exclaims.

"Are you crazy?" Mac replies, slightly offended, while stepping out of Leona's arms.

Will notices the tears in his wife's face and frowns. "Are you alright, hon?" He softly asks her, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking directly into her eyes.

"I'm great, baby. I just got a bit emotional, that's all." Mac assures him.

"Mrs. McAvoy!" Leona interrupted them. "Are you pregnant?"

"Ten weeks." She simply says.

Leona's wide smile matches the one on both the expecting parents' faces. She quickly hugs Mac again, and then Will, and congratulates them. "How did I miss this?" She says out loud, mostly to herself.

"It's a miracle you haven't found out. Will's been having a hard time keeping it a secret." Mac tells her, poking his husband on the ribs.

"Hey! Can you blame me?" He replies.

"You kids should get out of here. It's Friday, the night is young and all that crap." Leona says.

"We missed our reservation. Tess wanted to pitch me the most ridiculous story you've ever heard." Will explains.

"Yeah. That's probably my fault." Leona mutters.

"How?" Will asks her.

"The Plaza's kitchen closes late, I'll make a call and get you two a table. My treat."

Will tries to object but Mac squeezes his hand, hard, and looks at him to shut him up. "Thank you." She tells Leona, instead.

"Go and enjoy your evening." Leona says from the doorway. "And Mac, you know where my office is."

"Actually, I don't, never been there, but I'll find out." Mac replies with a smile.

"Make sure you do." Leona winks at her and leaves, closing the door behind her.

Will releases Mac's hand and goes to grab her blazer. "What was all that about?" He asks her while helping her put it on.

Mac stands on her tiptoes and softly kisses him. "I'll tell you over dinner."

Mac hangs her purse on her shoulder and takes Will hand, pulling him out of her office and towards the elevators. Will presses the button and puts his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Mac rests her head on his shoulder and sighs deeply.

"What?" Will asks her.

"Nothing." She says. "I love you."

"I love you too."

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


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